2 New Builds For Me.. YAY

Rabs · March 2020

So its been quite a journey for me since my last build... All a long story really but I am back now... Only got a quick chance to do some work today but at least I have started now. YAY

Two builds... One is for a friend of mine who passed away just over a year ago. He was a musician and we always talked about me building a guitar for him as he did lots of open mic nights and recorded his own music. Alas he wont ever get to play it but I still want to build it for him. I will then either present it to his family if they want it or sell it for charity and donate it in his name.

The idea may change a bit in final detail but roughly I want it (and so did he as we did this design together) to look like this. Its gonna have a Sapele back and neck and a flamed maple top.. Pickup to be decided and a piezo pickup on the TOM. The idea was that he could use it at open mic nights and to record with.. A one stop guitar for him.
https://i.imgur.com/a7XuVHr.jpg

And as said.. I started today.

Heres the body piece.
https://i.imgur.com/kth6I2K.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ky5PTiV.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/zhmJuJp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uMUoeWT.jpg

And the neck piece. Also Sapele
https://i.imgur.com/Kx6Xm6l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/bVNwG5o.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yr4QZON.jpg

And the top
https://i.imgur.com/TWc5NCU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/djmysCo.jpg

Well its started at least

Rabs · March 2020

Then the second one.. This is actually for me.. I never seem to get to build one for myself and the one that I did I sold the day after I finished it.. So this one is all for me.

Don't have a mock design for this one yet but now I have decided what wood I am using and how I am going to build it I will get one done..

Its also going to be a double cut. Possibly Hummer/P90 combo.. Havent quite decided yet.. But its going to have a Walnut neck and body and a splated maple top

And here is the loveliness.
https://i.imgur.com/UxtHlb3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/o6kFUvp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5P1tfXH.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LdGCUgN.jpg

Neck piece
https://i.imgur.com/ZqKNZS8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yoH8R7j.jpg

And the awesome top
https://i.imgur.com/9tflUhY.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/zfpXtNF.jpg

Ohh and both guitars will have Ebony boards like this..
https://i.imgur.com/TuTddZt.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KcUmjcb.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/h3FVW0k.jpg

So there we are... I know just a start but its got me reved up... So if you see little progress feel free to moan at me even though hopefully I wont need it

More (hopefully) very soon.

Andyjr1515 · March 2020

Excellent! Two as well

Nice timbers, @Rabs ;

Rabs · March 2020

Andyjr1515 said:

Excellent! Two as well Nice timbers, @Rabs ;

Cheers.. Had these sitting around for a few years now.. Been waiting and wanting to do this for a while now.. Good to be back at it even if it was a quick one today. Now.. When I get to using the current wood stock available to me.. Then you will see some amazing timber.. But gotta do this first

Revolting1 · March 2020

Do love the weight distribution/ balance on your chambered dc's.

Terible to have lost him but its great to see that you are building again..

looking forward to seeing them come together-the knots in the neck look tricky.

Rabs · March 2020

Revolting1 said:

Do love the weight distribution/ balance on your chambered dc's.

Terible to have lost him but its great to see that you are building again..

looking forward to seeing them come together-the knots in the neck look tricky.

Cheers man.. And the knots are work aroundable.. Its a wide bit of wood and I have left plenty of room to work with the thickness. Well I hope anyway

(im pretty sure).

TTony · March 2020

Good to have you back Rabs - thought you'd gone a little quiet.

Rabs said:

Then the second one.. This is actually for me.. I never seem to get to build one for myself and the one that I did I sold the day after I finished it.. So this one is all for me.

Is it for sale??

PeteC · March 2020

These look great ! - sorry for your loss , but that's a real fitting tribute to your friend.

Loving the spalted top - which is giving me some ideas for my 3rd build.
Watching with interest - please post plenty of pics if you can !

axisus · March 2020

Looking very interesting!

Corvus · March 2020

Sorry about your mate @Rabs but good to see you back at it. Some great looking timbers there too.

Rabs · March 2020

PeteC said:

These look great ! - sorry for your loss , but that's a real fitting tribute to your friend.

Loving the spalted top - which is giving me some ideas for my 3rd build.
Watching with interest - please post plenty of pics if you can !

Wow thanks guys... Its been a crazy last few years for sure.. I have a thread here about my friend if anyone wants to look.. I also lost my father after his long battle with cancer and it all happened around the same time.. Its why I stayed off here a lot as it annoyed me that I wasn't building but yet was just not in the position too the last few years.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/147445/r-i-p-david-novan-one-of-my-closest-friends#latest

So being back at it and getting such encouraging comments means a lot, thank you all

Rabs · March 2020

Not too much done.. Its been bad timing (as per usual) with my brother in law visiting us at the moment. So I have been looking after him and stuff.. He came with me to the workshop today and sat in the café while I did a few bits.

I always worked in a garage before as it was a convenient workspace for me but not a great place to work really as there is a lack of room. Since last April I have been working at a proper wood work shop.. So now this is my workshop full of incredible bench tools

https://i.imgur.com/71PrmpY.jpg

So now doing the headtsock angle and thinning the neck a bit is easy peasy compared to either using a jigsaw or manual saw.. Took me like thirty seconds

https://i.imgur.com/qbYFCBQ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VmWArv1.jpg

Same for the other neck which I first cut in half on the table saw.. Again.. About 15 seconds rather than the ten minutes it would have taken me with a jigsaw and it it wouldn't have been straight.

https://i.imgur.com/ZtLm9Rq.jpg

Straightened the edge on one of the tops on the jointer/planer

https://i.imgur.com/0JVxjEm.jpg

And cleaned up the edges on the bodies with our huge bobbin sander

https://i.imgur.com/kNrXzRP.jpg

All that done within half an hour (ohh and I shaped the fretboard to size too but forgot to take pics of that). These tools are not only fast but super accurate.

https://i.imgur.com/NfWtvU9.jpg

Then we went back to the garage where I finished the inside of the horn area (they didn't have one that small at the workshop)

https://i.imgur.com/51wsd8k.jpg

And got one of the trussrod channels done. I do this a simple way.. Clamp the neck down in the bench.. Then get a straight bit of wood behind it. Line up the router and then clamp the wood in place so the router runs up against it.. Simple and easy

https://i.imgur.com/tVxEXoM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/m1mtfGF.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/393Te81.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/su7wYBs.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/gRFGFDE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/27ttfwa.jpg

And that was all I had time for really. But its a good start. Being able to use those amazing tools at work helps so much. More soon

TTony · March 2020

#workshop_envy

What’s the weight of the Walnut like?

Rabs · March 2020

TTony said:

#workshop_envy

What’s the weight of the Walnut like?

Heavy.. It will be chambered..

Rabs · March 2020

No more work done yet. But I have a good/rough idea of what I want my spalted maple/walnut guitar too look like.

https://i.imgur.com/jkIh4XA.jpg

Roland · March 2020

I like that. Nice piece of wood, and a “no fuss” working guitar

Rabs · March 2020

Roland said:

I like that. Nice piece of wood, and a “no fuss” working guitar

Cheers and yeah me too.. Most of my guitars are like this. I let the wood do the talking.. That picture doesn't show the walnut involved. I think the contrast between the back and top will look cool.

Rabs · March 2020

Actually forget that first mock up. I forgot until today that I had already ordered pickups for this build. These
Vanson 57s PAF type and a humbucker sized P90..
https://i.imgur.com/OaaZQqW.jpg

So it will look a bit more like this..
https://i.imgur.com/ghPaZSi.jpg

Sarge · March 2020

Lovely, looking forward to seeing this.
Those vanson 57's are really nice.

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2 New Builds For Me.. YAY

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